Pia the Peacekeeper, the 18-foot giant troll sculpture on Bainbridge Island by Danish artist Thomas…read moreDambo, took approximately seven days to two weeks to make. She was so cool to see, this is our second troll to visit while being in this beautiful state! We decided to spend our last day experiencing the ferry ride and go across to Bainbridge and enjoy the afternoon and grab lunch and visit Pea. Such a went quaint little town look forward to visiting again.

Went to Bainbridge Island recently, we thought to come check out one of the troll statues around…read morethe Seattle area. We haven't seen this one so it was on our list while in the area. We took the ferry to come over from Seattle, we did not bring our car. It's about a 1.5 +/- mile walk from the ferry terminal, with some internet searching we were able to find one of the trailhead entrances, follow the loop trail then find Pia. It's just beyond one of the main parking lots. If you end up by the tennis courts, you've gone too far. Walking back to the main downtown strip area is about another 1.5 miles. When we got there, luckily no one was there, we had the place to ourselves for a while to get some photos, and check it out at our own pace. It's pretty cool to see, worth coming by when on Bainbridge Island. I believe this is my 4th troll statue I've seen in the Seattle area.

The Bainbridge Island Ferry had me living out my Grey's Anatomy dreams. We traveled between Seattle…read moreand Bainbridge for an afternoon of wine tasting. We drove a car onto the ferry. On the way there, we got in line about 40 minutes early, so we were able to easily get onto the ferry. However, on the way back, there were a lot of cars in line, so we weren't able to get on the first ferry we were waiting for. The ferries were also backed up, so we waited in line for a bit over an hour. We were in great company, so it was not an issue at all, but it's something to be aware of if you're on a time crunch. There's a lot of unpredictability that can come with the ferry, so you have to give yourself enough time! Once on the ferry, we got out of our cars and explored. The ferry gives gorgeous views of the shoreline including the Space Needle and observation wheel. There's plenty of space inside with lots of tables and chairs. We got a little booth and played card games. The ride itself is so short that I actually could've enjoyed a little more time on the ferry. The ferry is a fun way to explore the islands and the ability to bring on a car adds to the accessibility of exploration on the other end!

Please don't miss taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island. It's a short 35 minute ride with great…read moreviews! The ticket is $8.50. There are plenty of snacks you can get on the ferry. Service is great. The ferries run all year.

We'd heard great things about the pizza here, and, that it's pricey so well-prepared, decided to…read morewalk straight there from the ferry. A nice place for a mid-afternoon snack and drink around 3:30 pm, there were plenty of seats and our server was terrific. Great music and a relaxing meal. 3 of us shared the tonno salad ($21) and quattro formaggi pizza ($28). The salad was very good and the almonds added a nice crunch. The pizza was definitely enough for 3. It was really salty. Now we love cheese but with this combo, you could only really taste salt and what tasted and smelled like provolone. No seasonal greens on it. Good drinks: 1 beer, and housemade limeade and lemonade. Lunch for 3 all in = $95. Ooomph, pretty pricey for 1 pizza, 1 salad, 1 beer, and 2 non-alcoholic drinks.

Pizza is adequate but overpriced…read more My problem with them is with their check calculations. We had a party of five and the check arbitrarily added 20% for 'Large Party Gratuity". Then, after giving my credit card, the final bill for signature had an added a 3% credit card surcharge. And, on top of that sales tax added onto the whole total (meal, large party gratuity & credit car surcharge). AND, there was a line to add and additional tip. Total bill was 35% more than the cost of the meal. I probably would have given a 20% tip, but resent the fact that they arbitrarily added the large party gratuity. I don't recall anything on the menu that gave a forewarning of the large party tip adder nor the 3% credit card surcharge. I think this should be more prominent on their menu. Also, charging sales tax on the gratuity and credit card surcharge is highly unusual.

I'm giving this grocery store/restaurant 5 stars because it merits more than just a 4-star 'Good'…read morerating. If Yelp allowed it I'd give it a 4.5. Our son's been wanting to take us here for a long time and chose this, our first visit, as his wedding anniversary gift to us, his very dear and suffocatingly loving parents. The first thing that struck us were the variety of Italian foods and ingredients for sale in the grocery part of the restaurant. I bought the Garlic Scape Pesto because I've never had that type of pesto sauce so, why not? The staff at the front counter, who also doubled as hosts and wait staff, were very friendly. We arrived early for our reservation and only had a short wait before being seated at our table. We sat in the larger, outdoor section that was inside a tent. Our table offered great views of the outside and of the restaurant interior. I'm not sure why but when our son called in our reservation we had to pre-order our dishes and he had to pay for it then. The benefit of this was that after we were seated our orders came to our table within 10 minutes. We ordered the Vr11 Caesar Salad (which came with lemon-infused croutons!), two wood-fired pizzas and the Eggplant Parmigiana. The Caesar Salad appeared modest but when eating it, the lemon-infused croutons gave it a wow factor. My pizza was the Pizza Calabrese with two types of spicy Calabrian sausage, a Tropea Onion Jam, scarmozza (smoked mozzarella cheese, roast red peppers and grana padano. I didn't really get the smokiness in the cheese nor did the sausage chunks on pizza taste that spicy. But the clear star of the show was that Tropea Onion Jam which WAS spicy because I think 'NDuja sausage was mixed in with it. THERE was the heat I was looking for within a huge burst of flavor. That jam alone made the pizza. Our son loved his Pizza Carbonara ("It was amazing!") with the large dollops of stracciatella cheese with cured egg yolk, and curled guanchiale (pork jowl). This was our first tasting of guanchiale (our son graciously let me sample his pizza) and it was good. It was more like sliced pancetta and it was good. He loved his pizza but I tell ya, mine with that onion jam had already won me over. How much did my wife enjoy her Eggplant Parmigiana (which she also let me sample)? My wife usually doesn't finish her restaurant entrees. She finished this one. Nice marinara sauce flavors mixed with grated Grana Padano cheese and tender sliced grilled eggplant. I didn't pick up any grilled flavor from the eggplant but the dish was delicious. This was our son's second visit and we'd like to return for his third and our second. Both the grocery and restaurant are definite winners.

3.5 stars. Decent food and decent ambiance. We came here for lunch on a Sat afternoon and got…read moreseated quickly. Their process is that you order at the counter first and then they seat you. We were in the covered patio and it was heated, which worked well since it got cooler and rainy within a few minutes of us getting there. Their ambiance is casual and they have servers but you don't end up interacting much with them. We ordered the margherita pizza, the funghi e tartufo, the hot lovers pasta with shrimp (level 3 spice), the spinach ravioli. Everything was delicious. My personal favorite was the mushroom pizza and the hot lovers pasta. The pasta definitely had a kick to it for level 3. The shrimp could have been replaced with alternative meat option because it didn't absorb the sauce like I would have liked it to. The ravioli was done well. The margherita was very tasty. They gave bread with the pasta but it was just super bland and there was no olive oil or butter with it. Overall, decent place to come and get a quick, filling meal. They could work on their table accompaniments more.

Missed Opportunities…read more When I think of this bridge, I think of missing the ferry to Seattle, and having to drive around the island to get home. I think of visiting friends who live on Bainbridge, which in turn makes me think of the Wicker Man. I think of the nights spent at the nearby Clearwater Casino, dancing the night away in a smoke filled room. I also think of Laura.. If you look to the left when leaving Bainbridge, you can see the log where they found Laura Palmer's body in the pilot of David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

I'm a fan of bridges as long as they're not too far off the ground (or water). This bridge is a…read moresteel one that felt very safe. I wanted to get under the bridge in order to take a few pictures. Finding a way under the bridge is not an easy task for a tourist. I used maps to find the roads that would lead me there but had a number of wrong turns and dead ends. Finally, just by chance, I turned my head and saw a path down to the beach. The path is not appropriate for everyone - it was muddy, slippery, and had a bit of an incline. Wearing the wrong shoes could also ruin your day. The beach was full of clam shells and rocks with barnacles. There were a lot of birds and the water flowed at a brisk pace under the bridge. The bridge itself had vines growing on the outer posts away from the water. It was great for photos and my family loved the adventure!

We couldn't get a reservation a month ahead, so we decided to walk in around 3:30 on a Friday and…read moregot seated right away. Desiree was so friendly and explained the menu really well. Everything we ordered was delicious, especially the halibut and linguine. We also loved the cozy Western vibe. Definitely a must-try if you're in Seattle!

The Pink Door was such a great experience! The restaurant itself is beautiful, lively and full of…read morepersonality, but the FOOD!! Not only was everything absolutely delicious, the presentation was gorgeous. The colors were so vibrant and every plate looked almost too pretty to eat... almost. The staff was fantastic too! Super knowledgeable, friendly and gave us some great recommendations. And the lasagna??? BB... it literally melted in your mouth. I swear every bite somehow tasted even better than the one before it. I don't know what kind of magic they're putting in there, but I'm still thinking about it! Beautiful space, amazing food, great service. The Pink Door is definitely worth a visit when you're in Seattle!

Secret?! i think not. ;) Although it can appear rather secretive if you consider walking through it…read morethe first time (w/o knowing it's a tunnel) and ask yourself upon exiting "I was in an underground tunnel?" Yup. And a super COOL one at that, too. :) Fine shops, great lunch options, and a jackpot of historic Seattle photos - everything from the early days of dumping Pill Hill fill into Elliot Bay to the early Boeing airplanes. Downtown? Take a stroll down this tunnel. It begins/ends in Rainier Square and ends/begins in One/Two Union Square. Happy strolling. :)

I haven't visited enough underground tunnels to know if this one deserves 5 stars or not, so let's…read morework this out, arithmetic-style! 1 star for keeping me out of the rain, cold, and wind and away from motor traffic and waiting for crosswalk signals. 1 star for neat photos of old-time Seattle 1 star for a display of upcoming shows from the 5th Ave 1 star for the convenience store selling cards and snacks. There are also some little deli type eateries, a salon, and an art gallery, though I haven't taken advantage of any of them yet. All in all, this is a pretty spiffy way to get from 7th and Union to 4th and University without having to set foot outside - always a plus when it comes to dealing with Seattle's variable weather.

Cool Landmark in Seattle, Washington…read more.. I've had "The Center of the Universe" bookmarked for a while. It's a good thing to look at the bookmarked items on the Yelp app once in a while. I totally forgot about this novel and unique piece of Public Art! I should have visited it when I saw the Troll and the blue Fremont Bridge yesterday... darn! Anyway... I parked across the street and got a good shot of this directional sign! As I drew closer, I saw places on the sign that I would like to see - such as Machu Piccu and Rio de Janeiro. Other interesting places include The North Pole and The Milky Way. What a fun tourist stop! Check it out when you have time! It's free, quick, and a good break from daily routine!

One of the few photo ops (like the Rocket, dinosaurs, the Troll, etc) in Fremont…read more I saw the sign. It opened up my eyes. Life is demanding without understanding. To reiterate, I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign. No one's gonna drag you up To get into the light where you belong But where do you belong? Now if you excuse me, all that she wants is another baby, and she's gone tomorrow, boy.

Thank you Goddess for making Eagle Harbor…read more If I didn't have Osprey nesting in the tree above my house, or a Harbor Seal who visits every Fall and Winter... If I didn't have Madame Otter and her pups visit in the Summertime and sun bathe on the pier and tease the Golden Eagle with her fish sandwich... or the Young Bucks taking their first tentative steps into the water and eventually swimming across to eat the neighbors' roses.... If I didn't hear Coyotes howling from deep in the Woods up the road or Racoons getting it on in the Willow Tree outside our bedroom window... If I didn't have Blue Herons and Kingfishers, Baby Ducks or Canadian Geese greet me every morning... and, of course, the Majestic Eagles who perch on top of the huge Cedar Tree and get bossed around by the teeniest of little birds.... If I didn't have all this in front of my wonderful, tiny, quirky old house, I'd pack my bags and head home to mother San Francisco.... Thanks Eagle Harbor, for saving my marriage.

Frankie Feetsplinters making his presence known in front of the National Nordic Museum. With his…read morejoyful and curious look he makes me smile whenever I see him. Standing tall and gazing out welcoming others to the museum. I'm glad I got to visit him on a sunny day. Parking can be a bit challenging, there is a lot behind museum in the that you can park in for a $2 fee. I had a great time visiting Frankie and admiring him.

We stopped here today to see Frankie Feetsplinters and were delighted as always with the work of…read moreThomas Dambo. Frankie stands ( or stomps :)) in front of the National Nordic Museum and since street parking can be impossible to find, your best bet is to park on the museum lot for $2 and walk around. I love his frolicsome exuberance and his ubiquitous gaze. His boyish charm looms as largely as his figure. We were able to find the wooden nameplate for him but not the metal placard.. Because of the location we could not stay as long to admire him as we typically do but we enjoyed our visit with him all the same.